South Beach Battery (remains)

Author

City of Cockburn

Place Number

24456

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Location

Emplacement Cr Hamilton Hill

Location Details

Reserve 4394

Local Government

Cockburn

Region

Metropolitan

Construction Date

Constructed from 1944

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
(no listings)

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
RHP - Does not warrant assessment	Current	26 Jul 2013

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	10 Apr 2014	Category D	Category D Some significance Contributes to the heritage of the locality. Photographically record prior to major development or demolition. Recognise and interpret the site if possible.

Statement of Significance

South Beach Battery (remains) is evidence of the importance of defending the Western Australian coastline, and in particular Fremantle Harbour and Cockburn Sound.
South Beach Battery (remains) may have some archaeological potential to reveal information about military construction techniques in the 1940s.

Physical Description

This remaining gun pit has been excavated and is now exposed on a hill. The entire structure now in evidence would have originally been buried to the roof line, and would have been invisible except for the roof. It has been painted with an inappropriate ‘camouflage’ pattern and has been vandalised.

History

In 1940 the Commonwealth of Australia ordered two batteries of 5.25 inch guns. These were land based, single barrel versions of a dual purpose (Anti Aircraft/Surface) gun mounted in twin turrets in Royal Navy Anti Aircraft cruisers. The equipment intended for Leighton and South Beach would have provided high level anti aircraft and coast artillery cover for Fremantle Harbour and the Sound.
The equipment arrived in 1944 and work was completed at Leighton in 1947 when the Battery was declared operational. The Battery at South Beach was never finished and never became operational.
Leighton Battery remained operational until 1963 when Coast Artillery left the order of battle and the installations were scrapped. Of the three gun pits at Leighton, one has been excavated and forms part of the tours operated by the Royal Australian Artillery Historical Society. One remains buried and one was destroyed for the Buckland Hill housing estate.
At South Beach the entire installation was destroyed except for the excavated remains now visible.

Integrity/Authenticity

INTEGRITY: Low
AUTHENTICITY: Fair

Condition

Very Good

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Robert Mitchell; Correspondence.	National Trust of Australia (WA),	May 2010
	G MacKenzie Smith; "Defending Fremantle".

Place Type

Individual Building or Group

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	VACANT\UNUSED	Vacant\Unused
Original Use	MILITARY	Fort or Gun Emplacement

Construction Materials

Type	General	Specific
Roof	TIMBER	Other Timber
Wall	BRICK	Common Brick

Historic Themes

General	Specific
OUTSIDE INFLUENCES	World Wars & other wars

Creation Date

15 May 2012

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

20 Dec 2019

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.